By lap 50, Earnhardt had led 19 turns around the daunting track. It's one of two strategies drivers were pursuing at a track known for its spectacular crashes.

He relinquished the lead after that point.

Averaging a blink under 197 mph, Earnhardt made himself a target. The nearest Chase contenders to him were Kevin Harvick, Jeff Gordon and Clint Bowyer. Greg Biffle also was running near the front while such surprises as Casey Mears and Trevor Bayne took their turns at the front.

Earnhardt ran near the front until getting caught speeding on pit road when he made his second stop on Lap 62. He fell to the rear of the field and was running by himself around Lap 65. By Lap 72, Earnhardt and Kyle Busch, who also suffered a speeding penalty, had been lapped.

Meanwhile, Chase leaders were sticking to their plan of waiting at the rear of the pack. A look at the field showed Brad Keselowski, Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin and Jimmie Johnson spread among the last dozen cars in the race.

Rather than risk being caught in a major crash while running in the middle of the pack, they were sticking back to avoid danger.

Earnhardt entered the race seventh in the Chase standings, 39 points behind Keselowski, who took over the lead with his victory at Dover.

“I’m still thinking championship,” Earnhardt said Friday at Talladega. “Anything can happen and stranger things have happened to get guys back into the title chase.

“This racetrack definitely is an opportunity to shake things up to our advantage.”